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PINUS CANARIENSIS Chr. Sm. ex DC. – Canary Island Pine

Family:Pinaceae Lindl.Distribution: Endemic species of the Canary Islands – occurs on Tenerife, Gran Canaria, La Palma, El Hierro, naturalized on La Gomera.Habitat: It grows at an elevation of 1 000 to 2 000 metres above sea level, in the forest areas of islands.Description: An evergreen tree, 25–40 m tall, with a straight stem and an usually open crown. The bark is scaly, fissured, red brown. The leaves are needle-like, bright green to yellow-green, 15–30 cm long, limber, in bundles of three, retained 1–3 years. A characteristic of the species is the occurrence of bluish-green shoots growing from the trunk. The cones are ovoid-conic up to 20 cm long, the seeds are obovate.Use: The timber is among the finest of pine woods – aromatic, hard, durable. Formerly it was used for building ships, also as firewood. This attractive tree is often planted in parks and gardens.Note: The Canary Island Pine is the largest pine native to the Old World. A tree 60 m tall has been measured near the road just north of village Vilaflor (Southwestern Tenerife).
These images were taken in Spain, the Canary Islands, Tenerife, Aguamansa and Las Cañadas (Ladislav Hoskovec: 29. 3. 2006; Gabriela Leugnerová: 20. 2. 2005 – shoots).